# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=78&state=muted [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 79 --- ## [The drones are coming, the drones are coming! (Not about war..War, what is it good for?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-drones-are-coming-the-drones-are-coming-not-about-war-war-what-is-it-good-for/1030643)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-drones-are-coming-the-drones-are-coming-not-about-war-war-what-is-it-good-for/1030643 "2026-06-05T18:22:30Z")
Notified, a huge timber company are mapping their tract of acreage directly behind our land. With drones! They’re to use our pasture for the staging area. The heck you say. Hey! How’s about asking nicely. Ya think? (… --- ## [Bring back the battleships?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bring-back-the-battleships/485860)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 390\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bring-back-the-battleships/485860 "2026-06-05T17:52:27Z")
From an earlier friendly PM discussion between What Exit? and me, posted here with his consent: Elendil’s Heir An interesting idea… what do you think? http://kbismarck.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=584 What Exit? An old… --- ## [What skill do you perform worse than 99 random people?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-skill-do-you-perform-worse-than-99-random-people/1030499)
**Author:** [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-skill-do-you-perform-worse-than-99-random-people/1030499 "2026-06-05T17:43:31Z")
An offshoot of the below thread: What Skill can you perform better than 99 random people? What are you absolute rubbish at? It needs to be a skill that 99 random people can do competently, but you feel like you’ll be a… --- ## [Dealing with a suspiciously anonymous website](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealing-with-a-suspiciously-anonymous-website/1029773)
**Author:** [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealing-with-a-suspiciously-anonymous-website/1029773 "2026-06-05T17:39:26Z")
I have referenced Richard Dawkins’ reactions to a chatbot (see Stupid MFers in the News thread) this evening in dealing with what I now believe is a fake website from which I ordered a product. The email receipt I got wa… --- ## [Sometimes, things do improve!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-things-do-improve/1030548)
**Author:** [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-things-do-improve/1030548 "2026-06-05T16:42:33Z")
There’s so much in life these days that’s suffering from Enshitification, that we sometimes miss when things actually get better. I thought of this just now, because I just realized it’s been years since I’ve seen a “Re… --- ## [Is Frontier internet always this bad?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-frontier-internet-always-this-bad/1030503)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-frontier-internet-always-this-bad/1030503 "2026-06-05T15:30:16Z")
I needed a new internet provider. I checked with Frontier and Spectrum. Frontier was cheaper. (Thirty-five dollars a month vs fifty dollars a month.) So I went with Frontier. Within twenty-four hours of the installatio… --- ## [What to do in Scotland for a week?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-scotland-for-a-week/1030541)
**Author:** [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-scotland-for-a-week/1030541 "2026-06-05T14:21:43Z")
Between June 16th and June 20th, my wife and I will be in Scotland. I’ve never been, she’s been to Edinburgh before. Any recommendations for what/where we should visit in that short time? I’m tempted to head to Glasgo… --- ## [I pit Capital One and Jared](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-capital-one-and-jared/1030625)
**Author:** [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-capital-one-and-jared/1030625 "2026-06-05T12:01:30Z")
last year I went for debt relief due to high debt. By January, all debts paid off in settlement, USBank and Target promptly reported my settlement to all 3 credit bureaus, but not Capital One or Jared–6 months later they… --- ## [Have you ever actually tried to supernaturally (ahem) predict the future?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-actually-tried-to-supernaturally-ahem-predict-the-future/1030234)
**Author:** [@Past\_Paper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Past_Paper)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-actually-tried-to-supernaturally-ahem-predict-the-future/1030234 "2026-06-05T05:00:50Z")
I put the “ahem” in there because most people probably don’t believe in the existence of “supernatural” things but I’ll explain anyways: I’m incredibly skeptical but also incredibly open-minded, so I’ve dabbled in mysti… --- ## [What would a drive-in fast food meal typically cost 1955-1965?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-drive-in-fast-food-meal-typically-cost-1955-1965/1030570)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-drive-in-fast-food-meal-typically-cost-1955-1965/1030570 "2026-06-05T04:56:59Z")
Inspired by those famous lines: “As you drive away/ a tip upon our tray/ we’re hoping to find-find-find”. So to determine just how much coinage to leave, what base figure per person would you start with? --- ## [Resolved: That by the standards we hold today, the American War of Independence was wrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-that-by-the-standards-we-hold-today-the-american-war-of-independence-was-wrong/1030628 "2026-06-05T04:53:43Z")
More or less title says it all. If you disagree with the premise I’d like to hear your reasoning. --- ## [Fireball Whiskey mini-bottles and toothpicks with dental floss](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fireball-whiskey-mini-bottles-and-toothpicks-with-dental-floss/843267)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 181\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fireball-whiskey-mini-bottles-and-toothpicks-with-dental-floss/843267 "2026-06-04T23:44:39Z")
Why am I starting a Pit thread about these two items? Because it seems I can’t go anywhere without seeing the bottles by the side of the road, and the toothpicks in the parking lot. Doesn’t anyone throw these in the ga… --- ## [How well do you treat AI? Are you kind to it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-treat-ai-are-you-kind-to-it/1016555)
**Author:** [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Replies:** 70\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-treat-ai-are-you-kind-to-it/1016555 "2026-06-04T23:27:08Z")
This isn’t a question about what AI can do for you (or how to tag it), but how you treat it in response. Do you say please and thank you? When it makes a mistake, do you gently correct it or angrily yell at it? Do you b… --- ## [Testing for BRCA1 gene - options?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-for-brca1-gene-options/1004026)
**Author:** [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Replies:** 106\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/testing-for-brca1-gene-options/1004026 "2026-06-04T21:04:59Z")
My brother participated in a genetics study related to autism. A month or so back, he got a letter saying that he carried a “A PATHOGENIC VARIANT in the BRCA1 gene.”. Which of course means he’s at much higher risk for p… --- ## [Are there any parody artists besides Weird Al?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-parody-artists-besides-weird-al/1028226)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-parody-artists-besides-weird-al/1028226 "2026-06-04T21:03:09Z")
You’d think that in the YouTube/social media era, there would be at least one artist who has name recognition for being a parody artist. Maybe not on the same level as Weird Al (no one will ever be at Weird Al’s level), … --- ## [Ever seen a beach hut?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-a-beach-hut/1030513)
**Author:** [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-seen-a-beach-hut/1030513 "2026-06-04T20:41:11Z")
I ask this with genuinely no idea what the answers are going to be. We were at the seaside today (Worthing, about 50 miles south of London) and we were talking about them because, if I had paid £30 000 for, essentially, … --- ## [Anyone have a good vegetarian appetizer recipe?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-a-good-vegetarian-appetizer-recipe/1030565)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-have-a-good-vegetarian-appetizer-recipe/1030565 "2026-06-04T20:14:40Z")
Need answer some time this week. :slightly\_smiling\_face: I’m considering jalapeno poppers or deviled eggs, but I’m interested in hearing other ideas. Bonus points if it’s something you’ve actually made and the whole wi… --- ## [Any HR people here? Can I pick your brain a bit?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-hr-people-here-can-i-pick-your-brain-a-bit/1030587)
**Author:** [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-hr-people-here-can-i-pick-your-brain-a-bit/1030587 "2026-06-04T19:49:04Z")
Short version - How difficult is it to get work in HR without any sort of training or degree in it? What can I expect compensation-wise? Longer tale: I’m about to lose a job I love and that I don’t think I can replicat… --- ## [Stories that have been adapted into movies and mini-series the most](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-that-have-been-adapted-into-movies-and-mini-series-the-most/1030584)
**Author:** [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-that-have-been-adapted-into-movies-and-mini-series-the-most/1030584 "2026-06-04T19:41:40Z")
We’ve probably done this before, maybe more than once, but I’ve long been fascinated by the way different writers and directors will r-imagine a story, so that different versions come out looking completely differently. … --- ## [Hockey offsides question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hockey-offsides-question/1030563)
**Author:** [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hockey-offsides-question/1030563 "2026-06-04T16:45:24Z")
I hope I can ask this in an understandable way. My understanding of offsides is when a skater crosses the opposing blueline before the puck, correct? So, lets say the Hurricanes are in the Knights zone. A player on th… --- ## [What is your favourite video game?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favourite-video-game/1030285)
**Author:** [@Xarrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xarrot)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favourite-video-game/1030285 "2026-06-04T16:25:23Z")
Been considering what is the average person’s favourite game. Decided to ask here because I lack social confidence --- ## [Scammers are using AI](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scammers-are-using-ai/1030612)
**Author:** [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scammers-are-using-ai/1030612 "2026-06-04T14:49:56Z")
(Mods I don’t know if this for the Market Place, I’m just aggravated though about scammers) Scammers are using AI to try to ‘purchase’ something. I have a very nice barely used target air rifle for sale. That, and it’s… --- ## [Help me with this health insurance conundrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-this-health-insurance-conundrum/1030613)
**Author:** [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-this-health-insurance-conundrum/1030613 "2026-06-04T14:25:09Z")
I own a small business but have some serious health problems and want to retire. (The business is good and I am confident it will sell, possibly quickly) Currently I get health insurance through a group plan the business… --- ## [(Old) I think I MAY start the MMP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-i-think-i-may-start-the-mmp/1029989)
**Author:** [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Replies:** 303\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-i-think-i-may-start-the-mmp/1029989 "2026-06-04T13:28:05Z")
See what I did there? MAY - yanno, like this month… OK, not all that clever, but it should get us started. My day starts at 54 Ferrets with much rain promised. Plans are to go with the flow. Happy Moanday!! --- ## [R&B & jazz singer Peabo Bryson passes away at age 75](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-b-jazz-singer-peabo-bryson-passes-away-at-age-75/1030576)
**Author:** [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-b-jazz-singer-peabo-bryson-passes-away-at-age-75/1030576 "2026-06-04T12:11:06Z")
Bryson passed away today from complications of a stroke he suffered this past Sunday, May 31st. Bryson is probably best remembered today for his many duets, including two huge ones from Disney Renaissance films – “Bea… --- ## [Can Anyone Identify This Tune?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-tune/1030586)
**Author:** [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-tune/1030586 "2026-06-04T11:33:56Z")
From Baumgartner Restoration on Youtube: Is this a classical piece? Or a modern interpretation of a classic? --- ## [Why do you think one foot in the grave performers still do it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-one-foot-in-the-grave-performers-still-do-it/1030507)
**Author:** [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-think-one-foot-in-the-grave-performers-still-do-it/1030507 "2026-06-04T04:07:00Z")
Franki Valli is freaking 92. Tom Jones is 85. Paul McCartney was the first major concert I had been to in 1976. Big fan. But he’s going to be 84. I saw him on SNL a few weeks ago and his voice sounded eerie and weak, l… --- ## [Meeting your remote colleagues](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meeting-your-remote-colleagues/1030564)
**Author:** [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meeting-your-remote-colleagues/1030564 "2026-06-04T02:07:40Z")
For those of you who work remotely, how do you find the times when you finally meet some of your colleagues face to face? For me it’s pretty awkward; they can be people I’ve been through a lot with, maybe shared a laugh… --- ## [If you had a billion dollars: What are some truly bizarre or weird or eccentric things you would do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-a-billion-dollars-what-are-some-truly-bizarre-or-weird-or-eccentric-things-you-would-do/1030356)
**Author:** [@Past\_Paper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Past_Paper)\ **Replies:** 150\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-a-billion-dollars-what-are-some-truly-bizarre-or-weird-or-eccentric-things-you-would-do/1030356 "2026-06-04T02:01:49Z")
Charity is great, and doing science or donating to tech research is wonderful, and buying jewelry and sportscars is typical of many rich people. That’s not what this topic is about- if you had 1 billion in liquidated ass… --- ## [Any guesses on how this Caller ID "feature" works?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-guesses-on-how-this-caller-id-feature-works/1030606)
**Author:** [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2026, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-guesses-on-how-this-caller-id-feature-works/1030606 "2026-06-04T00:27:31Z")
Old AT&T cordless phone. EL52309 (2009ish). Incoming calls show full 10 digit# 123-456-7890. While reviewing received calls all 10 digits are displayed EXCEPT if it’s MY area code of 123. Then it just displays 456-7890. … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=77&state=muted) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=79&state=muted)